But I don’t mind the excuse to touch her.
I set her on the ground, then reach up to cup her cheeks. “I’m going to find you a coat, gloves, a scarf, and some boots. They won’t do much, but they’re better than this shirt.”
And she’s going to need the layers for the snowmobile ride.
“Afterward, I’ll need you to wear a backpack full of supplies,” I tell her.
She says nothing.
“Okay?” I prompt.
“Yeah,” she whispers. “I’ve just neverseenthis before.”
I frown, following what she means. “This isn’t in your visions?”
“No.” She swallows and I hear it more than see it. “Where are we going?”
“I’m not sure yet,” I admit. “But we’ll find something.”
There are emergency bunkers hidden all over this region of the world, most of them built by humans during the Infected Era. Most of them are energized by solar power, a technology that’s easily reconfigured even if it’s a little rusty.
I go grab the supplies we need—including the items for Ashlyn—and bundle her up. Then I guide her over to a tarp that I rip off to reveal our ride. It’s already gassed up and ready.
“Do you have escape huts like this attached to all your lairs?” she asks, sounding impressed.
“Yes.” Survival is one of the skills I’ve mastered in my lifetime. “One can never be too cautious in this world.”
“Always preparing for alternate paths,” she says. “I’m beginning to understand why we’re fated.”
“Only beginning to?” I ask, grabbing her nape and pulling her toward me. “You haven’tknownall along?”
“Not everything can be revealed in visions,” she breathes, her head angled up toward mine.
“Hmm,” I hum, then lean down to kiss her softly. “We’ll see what else we canrevealafter we find a new den.” I nip at her bottom lip, then pick her up and settle her on the snowmobile.
Grabbing a helmet with a face shield, I put it over her head and ensure she’s protected. Afterward, I help her with the backpack and put a few items—mostly guns and ammunition from my emergency stockpile kits—in the various storage areas on the vehicle.
I slip into a leather jacket lined with fur and use a rubber band to tie my hair up into a bun at my nape.
The last thing I pick up are gloves, the waterproof material easily gliding over my fingers and hands as I secure the item in place.
“All right,” I say, sliding into place in front of her and picking up my own helmet. “Wrap your arms around me, Ash, and don’t let go. This is going to be a dangerous ride.”
10
ASHLYN
Nomad Lands, Canada
We’ve been drivingfor hours, the sun having set ages ago.
Of course, it’s that time of year where the days are shorter than the nights. So it’s hard to know exactly how long we’ve been on this snowmobile. But it’s clear that Grey wanted to put a lot of distance between us and his cave.
The howls piercing the air as we left told me why.
There had to be at least a dozen wolves, if not more, trying to find us.
Given my visions of what should have happened tonight, that dozen or so was just the beginning.
